The Mystery Slayer
The Mystery Slayer let out a long sigh at the all-too-familiar stench of suffering. They say if you don't expect anything, you can't be disappointed. I don't know who first said it, but I'm convinced it came from someone with truly remarkable insight. With that thought in mind, I leveled my sword-spear.
"It looks like we'll need to split up the enemies. What do you think?"
"Hmm. This is rather troublesome."
Owen, standing beside me, alternated his gaze between the Nepentula and the woman with a troubled expression.
"An adult Nepentula and a War Ant Queen... what an inconvenient combination."
"The Nepentula is bad enough, but the War Ant Queen is the real problem."
"That woman seized control of the mystery phenomenon and scattered us on purpose, didn't she?"
Just as Neon said. Since this place was created by the War Ant Queen, we should have considered the possibility that another queen could interfere to some degree. But we lacked information on them and got caught off guard.
Neon stared at the queen with an anxious face.
"Setting aside the fact that she looks similar to Adela, does that mean she's completely taken over the control rights?"
"Not quite."
Fortunately, the words that eased Neon's anxiety came from Adela's mouth.
"No matter how much of a queen she is, taking control of another queen's nest is extremely difficult. Besides, to seize control, you absolutely have to reach the center."
"Then why does she look so similar to you and that queen?"
"All queens originate from the First Queen. We're essentially distant relatives."
That's incredibly interesting information.
At the mention of the First Queen, Owen's eyes sparkled with curiosity. But it seemed the other side's patience was running out, because an ominous sound began rising from the Nepentula's body.
"Oh dear. I was hoping to have a personal conversation with Miss Adela out of curiosity, but it seems it's time to fight."
"Owen, please handle the queen. We'll hold out somehow in the meantime."
"No. I'll take the queen."
Adela stepped forward with absolute confidence. Her gaze was locked onto the queen, and the queen's eyes were fixed right back on her.
"Those of us who branched off from the First Queen each have our own specialized fields. To make up for our shortcomings, we must defeat other queens and consume their genetic material."
"How did you know that?"
"The moment I discovered the queen, the information locked in my mind was released."
"Was that information left behind by your mother too?"
"No. It's instinctive knowledge awakened on a species level."
Scholars would find that fascinating. Luckily there were no scholars here, so I didn't have to worry about being pestered. Instead, I had to worry about survival, so I pushed the complicated thoughts aside and looked at Adela.
"Adela, can you take her?"
"Of course."
Her voice was brimming with confidence. I decided to trust her without doubt.
"Owen, leave the queen to Adela. Let's hunt the Nepentula together."
"Shall we? It seems they have their own issues to settle, so we shouldn't interfere."
Owen took one step forward with a playful smile.
"Then shall we begin? It looks like their patience has run out as well."
"Sounds good."
"For some reason, I'm feeling anxious..."
Adela naturally moved toward the queen, leaving only me, Owen, and Neon on this side. The Nepentula, which had fixed six of its eight eyes on us—more precisely on Owen—descended from the tree. At the same time, the trees around it grew at an alarming rate, radiating a dangerous aura. An eerie silence fell over the area.
BOOM!
The moment Owen and the Nepentula vanished from sight, the battle began. Thanks to the Ikelos armor, I could barely make out their movements. They exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye before pulling back. I timed my entrance perfectly and charged in.
I activated the thrusters at maximum output and shot behind the Nepentula. The speed left afterimages, but my pupils remained calmly fixed on the creature. I infused my sword-spear with aura and thrust toward its hind leg.
Immediately, the surrounding plants grew explosively, writhing like tentacles to bind my body. It was as if the monster was saying I wasn't even worth its full attention.
"Did you really think I wouldn't expect this?"
Unfortunately for it, I was well-versed in Nepentula countermeasures. I immediately consumed additional mana and summoned four Rune Golems.
Gravity Field
The summoned Rune Golems immediately deployed their pre-prepared gravity fields. The powerful gravitational force crushed the plants, allowing me to break through the interference and reach the Nepentula's front.
Matching my bold move, Owen resumed his attack. Purple chains shot out from his sleeve, attempting to bind the Nepentula. The creature responded with tentacles sprouting from its entire body, then lightly tapped the ground. Sprouts burst forth from the barren soil, rapidly growing into saplings that formed a wall blocking my path in an instant.
"Are you still treating me like a worthless mob that isn't worth fighting?"
Seeing its attitude that clearly regarded me as nothing more than a fly, I smiled darkly and pulled out my prepared move.
Blink
The instant I teleported directly above the Nepentula's head with Blink, I thrust my sword-spear downward. Its head rapidly hardened, deflecting the weapon harmlessly, but that didn't matter. A summoning circle had already been prepared above it, and the Lesser Dragon that had been waiting there unleashed its breath.
Owen threw chains to prevent it from escaping, while Neon deliberately raised his dark magic to draw its attention. The perfect plan executed at the perfect timing. Confirming the creature's pupils darting around frantically, I was certain of victory as I Blinked out of the breath's range.
KWAAAAAAAAAA—!
The scorching flame breath incinerated the ground. The forest turned to ash, the Nepentula's form was swallowed by flames, and the shockwave was so powerful that plants on the edge of the island snapped. Even Owen, who always maintained a smile, looked astonished.
"Good heavens. Just judging by the power, even an adult Nepentula shouldn't be able to withstand that, right?"
His words meant it was an attack that even Gold-rank monsters would struggle to endure. I couldn't help but feel proud. After all, the amount of experience points and living creatures I'd fed that Lesser Dragon was nothing to scoff at. It was about time for it to evolve into a Half-Dragon, so this result was only natural. Plus, the compatibility was in our favor. Even if we couldn't neutralize it completely, we should be able to inflict serious damage. I waited for the flames to subside.
Then, suddenly, the fire parted, and an unscathed Nepentula emerged from within.
"It's completely fine?"
The plants it used as health potions had turned to ash, and it had taken a direct hit from a magical flame breath. Yet it looked completely unharmed. I was making a face of utter confusion when I noticed the translucent armor floating around its body like a protective shield. My expression hardened.
A rock with lava flowing through it like veins. The barrier that seemed to embody the earth itself told me exactly why the creature had survived.
"Magranas..."
"It seems that thing has taken quite an interest in this place."
The owner of that barrier had such distinct characteristics that no explanation was needed.
"Kikikik."
Thanks to its master's protection, the surviving Nepentula raised its leg and stomped down. Sprouts emerged from the ashes, instantly turning the flames into nutrients as flowers bloomed. My face paled at the sight.
"What a horrifying vitality."
Had it cultivated plants that could grow in flame zones? The sight of flowers thriving in an environment where ordinary people would suffer burns just from the air made me sigh. It looked like this fight wasn't going to be easy. I checked my remaining mana.
I had summoned Ikelos and the Rune Golems, used Blink twice, and fired the Lesser Dragon's breath. In such a short time, I'd consumed nearly forty percent of my mana. I let out another sigh.
"I really need to find a way to increase my mana pool."
In terms of Argo Saga, I was no different from a Chaos Mage who lands one big hit and then enters sage time. At least Chaos Mages can contribute with sustained damage, but if all my summons die, my combat ability drops drastically until my mana recovers. I had to be especially careful.
"Owen, I'll draw its attention. Attack during that opening."
"That sounds dangerous. Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"If it gets too dangerous, I can just escape with Phase Shift. That's why I chose Summoner as my mystery's direction, after all."
"What about me?"
"You'll manage just fine on your own."
I casually ignored Neon's pleading request for orders. He had already carved out his own unique domain as a Northern black mage. His evasion ability and taunting skills had reached the pinnacle. In murim terms, he was at the level of a Great Master, so my instructions would only become an obstacle that hindered his assistance.
After dividing our roles, we moved without hesitation. I ran at full speed, fully utilizing the enhanced physical abilities granted by the Ikelos armor. The ground caved in beneath my feet as the distance to the Nepentula closed rapidly. The moment I arrived in front of it, its foreleg blurred, then transformed into a sharp blade that shot toward my entire body.
It was too late to dodge. Its ability far surpassed mine, and the only reason I'd even perceived the attack was thanks to the physical boost from fusion. I used Blink at the last possible moment to teleport onto its back and thrust my sword-spear.
"Kikik."
But before the attack could land, tentacles sprouting from its back all surged toward me at once. I swallowed a gasp. I used Blink again to evade, but cold sweat broke out when I saw the scratches all over my armor and the pieces that had been torn off.
Even though I knew I had Phase Shift as a backup, my blood ran cold. Still, my narrow provocation had created an opening for Owen to exploit.
"Splendid work, Argo."
I had no idea when he'd gotten behind me, but Owen smiled brightly as he swung his sword in a smooth arc. A thin line appeared across the Nepentula's body, and then its two forelegs were neatly severed.
The purple aura wrapped around his blade was particularly striking. Owen laughed playfully as he praised me.
"Wow~ If it weren't for you, Argo, I wouldn't have been able to cut off those forelegs. It was so wary of me that it would swat me away with tentacles the moment I got close."
"You're too kind."
Even if it sounded like mockery, that level of praise was clearly sincere. I interpreted the meaning with practiced ease and fixed my gaze back on the Nepentula.
But something was strange. It should have regenerated the severed legs by now, yet it was leaving them as they were. I frowned, openly showing my confusion.
"Wait, the severed parts should have reattached by now. Why aren't they?"
"It's thanks to my mystery ability."
Owen was the one who answered my question. He pointed at the purple aura around his hand with a relaxed expression, then lowered his stance as he watched the wary Nepentula.
"When struck by my attacks, one of its abilities gets sealed."
Come to think of it, Owen's mystery was related to sealing. It was simple, but precisely because of that effectiveness, he had earned the title Mystery Slayer.
Owen raised his sword with clear confidence.
"Since I've sealed its regeneration, no matter how horrifying its vitality is, it won't be able to use that power properly anymore."
From within his sleeve came the threatening sound of chains scraping against each other.